What To Look Out For When Buying Bookshelf Speakers?

There are many reasons to buy bookshelf speakers. Maybe you want to play some smaller gigs, or maybe you just want to improve your living room listening experience.

Whatever your reason may be, you deserve to get the most out of your investment. So, how do you do that?

Bookshelf speakers work best when placed on a raised surface, such as a bookshelf (obviously!), a table or by mounting them on a wall. While a bookshelf works, the speakers shouldn’t be completely closed off from the sides.

In fact, a good speaker stand would work better than a shelf. The most important thing is that the surface the speakers are resting on is very sturdy.

Only after you make sure that you can have good placement for the speakers can you notice the subtle differences in models of a similar price range.

The biggest problem with small speakers (as in computers, headphones and similar) is the frequency range. Frequency is measured in Hertz, and a lower Hertz number means that the speakers can play heavier, fuller bass notes, so you definitely want speakers that show a low Hertz number.

Most speakers include two drivers – a woofer for the lower register and a tweeter for the higher register. Some speakers also come with a third mid-range speaker, which allows for the woofer and tweeter to play only really low and really high tones.

Generally speaking, you don’t need a mid-range speaker, but it’s better to have one assuming that other parameters are the same.

The last important thing are the cabinets. The typical cabinet is wooden, although there are models made of other materials such as plastic, fiberboard, and metal.

The cabinetmaterial, shape and size greatly impacts the final sound. In a way, the most important aspect of a speaker is a great and very durable cabinet, because a cracked cabinet allows for air to escape through cracks, which greatly diminishes the quality of the bass tones.

Let’s take a look at some of our picks for the best bookshelf speakers available:

BEST BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS UNDER $2000

Cesti B uses Mark audio’s Sota 11 and Sota 5 units, where the name refers to the diameter in centimeters instead of inches. The Sota 11 generates tones even under 40 Hz and is around 4.3 inch in diameter, while the Sota 5 handles the higher register and has a diameter of around 2 inch.

The custom, all-range symmetric driver technology allows for amazing response over all frequencies. They are great for smaller studios or home theaters. In addition to that, as they put it on their own website: “The simple but elegant crossover design progressively transitions the higher and lower ranges of the audio signal to the driver optimized to handle that part of the spectrum.“All parts and the whole hardware is simply flawless, including the cabinets, speaker drivers, crossover, the cone-woofer and the dome-tweeter.

All parts are hand-picked and there is definitely no compromising with the building blocks of the MarkAudio Sota Cesti B Loudspeakers.

There is nothing better than a round and natural sound that completely conveys a song or sound effects of a movie. These speakers deliver nothing less than tonal perfection.

With a maximum output of 110dB and a frequency response of 50Hz – 28kHz, it is the perfect candidate for any living room or office.

The bass of the KEF R300 Loudspeakers completely shakes the room, but it is very articulate at the same time, bringing out the harmonics of a bass guitar.

While they are very bassy for a box speaker, the mid range is quite decent, too. The price might be a bit bigger than the average bookshelf speakers, but you really get the quality, craftsmanship, looks and sound you’re looking for.

With a frequency response of 45Hz – 40kHz, these speakers will cover all your needs from classical music to rock and roll. Instead of a traditional tweeter, it has a Glass-filled ABS Bi-Radial High-Frequency Horn which gives it a very unique high-end sound.

The sound is extremely accurate and natural. If you’re listening to an orchestra, the sweetviolin sounds are very lifelike and natural. More advanced listeners will appreciate even the detail of the hammer hitting the piano strings.

Where these speakers shine the brightest is a bigger home theater. If you want to experience an action thriller to the fullest, then crank the volume up on these JBL Studio Bookshelf Speakers and enjoy a dramatic and huge sound over a wide frequency range. Considering their size, they are fairly light.

That is why these speakers have received nearly flawless reviews from critics and users alike.

The SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers have a very decent 45 Hz-32 kHz range and they are often labeled as the Best Desktop Monitor Speakers.

While this might be a bit of an exaggeration, they are definitely a very affordable alternative to many high-end speakers.

The reasons for getting the SVS Ultra speakers can be numerous – you might smaller dimension speakers for a moderate home cinema, you are on a budget or you just want to get a great sound from your laptop without busting the bank.

While these aren’t going to be the first choice for a real audiophile, they can still act as great speakers for traveling as they are fairly small compared to other bookshelf models.

But don’t let the size fool you – the woofer has a bass response that can rival any floor-stander, as well as a sweet-sounding midrange.

CONCLUSION

If you’re an audiophile, you will probably have to invest a good chunk of cash in your speakers. Make sure to compare different speakers in combination with many different musical genres, but also take a listen to some move trailers to get the feel for all the different instruments and ranges.

An often-cited trick to get a first impression of speakers and headphones is to listen to the song Bohemian Rhapsody, as the song has many different instruments, different register voices and a lot of dynamic range.

If you want to learn more about speakers and compare different models, make sure to check out our top 9 DJ Speaker models, as well.

We hope that you’ll be able to find your dream speakers and enjoy massive sound of your favorite movies and bands.

About The Author

I've been a musician since I was 12 years old. Going through each instrument I've focused on drumming and percussion. Passionate about everything music related I spend my time playing, creating and writing about my passion.